The Mark of Cain

Leslie Hoyt was arrested and held for trial.

As Avice passed him on her way out of the courtroom, he detained her to say: “You know why I did it! I’ve told you I would do anything for you! I’m not sorry, I’m only sorry I failed!” His eyes showed a hard glitter, and Avice shrank away, as if from a maniac, which indeed he looked.

“Brave up, Miss Avice,” whispered Fibsy, who saw the girl pale and tremble. “You orta be so glad Mr. Landon is out you’d forget Judge Hoyt!”

“Yes, brave up, darling,” added Landon, overhearing. “At last I can love you with a clear conscience. If I had known that clause about your marriage was not uncle’s wish, how different it would have been! But I couldn’t ask you for yourself, if by that you lost your fortune!”

“Why wouldn’t you straightforwardly tell me you were innocent, Kane?” asked Avice as they rode home together.

“I couldn’t, dear. I know I was foolish, but the fact of your doubting me even enough to ask me, made me so furious, I couldn’t breathe! Didn’t you know I couldn’t kill Uncle Rowly?”

“I did know it, truly I did, Kane; but I was crazy; I wasn’t myself all those dreadful days!”

“And you won’t be now, if you stay here! I’m going to marry you all up, and take you far away on a long trip, right now, before we hear anything more about Leslie Hoyt and his wickedness!”

“I’d love to go away, Kane; but I can’t be married in such a hurry. Let’s go on a trip, and take Mrs. Black for chaperone, and then get married when I say so!”

This plan didn’t suit Landon so well as his own, but he was coerced into submission by the love of his liege lady, and the trip was planned.

Fibsy was greatly honored and praised. But the peculiar character of the boy made him oblivious to compliments.

“I don’t care about bookays, Miss Avice,” he said, earnestly; when she praised him, “just to have saved Mr. Landon an’ you is enough. An’ to knock the spots out o’ Judge Hoyt! But it’s the game that gets me. The whole detective business! I’m goin’ to be a big one, like Mr. Stone. Gee! Miss Avice, did you catch on to how he ran Judge Hoyt down, the minute I gave him the steer? That’s the trick! Oh, he’s a hummer, F. Stone is! An’ he’s goin’ to let me work with him, sometimes!”

Fibsy spoke the last words in a hushed, rapt tone, as if scarcely daring to believe them himself.

“But I say,” he went on suddenly; “what about that guy as telephoned and called Mr. Trowbridge ‘Uncle’?”

“It wasn’t I,” said Landon; “I called up uncle that afternoon, but couldn’t get him.”

“Then I know,” said Avice. “It was Judge Hoyt. You see,” and she blushed as she looked at Landon, “he was so sure he would marry me, he frequently said ‘uncle’ to my uncle. And Uncle Rowly sometimes called him, ‘nephew’. They used to do it to tease me.”

“Your uncle really wanted you to marry him, then?” and Landon looked anxious.

“Yes, he did. But not to the extent of putting it in his will! Uncle often said to me, that as I didn’t seem to care for any one else I might as well marry Leslie.”

“And now, you do care for somebody else?”

Landon had forgotten the presence of the boy. But Avice had not, and she looked around.

“Sure, Miss Avice,” said Fibsy, politely, as if in response to her spoken word, and he slid swiftly from the room.

And then Avice answered Kane Landon’s question.